Getting sick in Victoria could be a worry

May 15 2008

In what will be great concern to Australians living in Victoria, a newly released report has found that Victoria's hospitals have failed to meet key performance indicators.

According to the 'Your Hospitals Report', in the six months from July to December last year, the state government failed to meet six of its nine key performance targets.

The report shows that around 85,000 people waited in emergency departments without treatment for four hours, and 45,000 failed to be admitted to hospitals within eight hours, and the waiting time for elective surgery, in some cases was more than a year.

It appears that increasing pressure on emergency departments and an acute shortage of beds means some urgent cases are having to wait longer than the desired time for attention.

The report reveals a blowout in the number of public hospitals going onto ambulance bypass mode which is above the statewide target of three per cent.

The state government is blaming the former Liberal government's decrease in health funding, a flu and gastroenteritis epidemic and industrial action by nurses for the crisis.

The Australian Medical Association says the report shows hospitals were failing to provide "clinically appropriate care" to a growing number of Victorians.

Victoria's AMA president Dr. Doug Travis says the report shows that more than 200,000 Victorians are not being seen in the time recommended by nurses and doctors and 12,433 patients with severe symptoms were not seen within clinically appropriate times.

The three key performance indicators which were met were: treating seriously ill and injured patients in emergency departments (100%); urgent elective surgery carried out within 30 days (100%); and most patients requiring non-urgent elective surgery having operations within a year (91%).

Victorian Health Minister Mr Andrews Daniel Andrews who insists patient care was never compromised, has announced an extra $6 million funding for a winter demand strategy to be added to the $10 million Victorian Infection Control Strategy and $500,000 for influenza immunisation.